Vehicle suspension



March 19, 1935. F. R. PERSON I VEHICLE SUSPENSION Filed Jan 2, 1934 2 Sheets-Shet 1 NNM Jam flank lE er-worz -March 19, .1935.

F. R. PERsoN VEHICLE SUSPENSION Filed-Jan. 2,1934

2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 35 072} E Pera'on Patented Mar. 19, 1935 i 1,994,54-30 I wanton: SUSPENSION L Frank. Person, Worcester, Application January .2, 1934, serial 704,849

I vcoin-ens. (o1. 267 20 The principal object of this invention is to pro-,- manner. The axle carries a pivot member 13 vide a suspension for the frame or chassis of a which is not fixedly secured thereto but is inmotor car, aeroplane, or any other vehicle, that capable of any movement thereon in the direction will prevent the chassis or frame moving a great of the long dimension of the car. On opposite deal when any. .oneof the four Wheels strikes an sides it is p ovided with lugs 14' having W Stops 5 obstacle in the road, even if one'wheelis, raised by 15 and 16 and a transverse pivot stud 17. On such an obstacle a maximum amount and at the each pivot stud 1'7 is pivoted an inclined lever 18. same time a wheel on theIothersideis similarly These two levers on opposite sides of the axle lowered bya depression in the road. This object is extend forwardly d a wa dly respectivelysecured by providing a spring resistance, to the rise -1Th f e n f h f h l v 18 is p 10 and fall of the chassis relative to the action and Vided W 8, Stud 19 y Which it p v t d to providing a cam toqcontrol thesame andsupport alever 20 in turn pivoted on a stud 21 carried the frame from the parts connectedto the axle. by a lug 22 fi d t0 e 'ChaSSiS' The pp Other objects of the invention argto rm,'-;' d e end of the lever120 is provided With a pivot stud l5 movable means for supporting the free ends of le- 23 Which s C n ected with a head 24 of a com-i vers used to secure the above results, to cushion pressmnispring 5. .The other n of this Spring the longitudinal jars towhichthe vehicle'may be isfheldfigainst 9/ 118 26 a so Ca e in fixed subjected, and to provide ,means for preventing P HbY the C assis. The Obj of this thebinding of these parts when the-vehicle is struetion i to pr vid m ans-f r supporting the forced to assume a transversely inclined posi-f free ends of the lovers 18 m a y W respect 20 tion. tov the chassis and-these springs 25, one at the Other objects and advantages of the invention front. and the other at the rear, absorb the will appear hereinafter, shocks transmitted longitudinally b0 the car.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying n' h lev r 18. n rly halfw y fro the p v 5 drawings, in which stud 17, to the stud 19, is a' pivot stud 28 and Fig. 1 is a side view of a vehicle suspension, hi ds rves as a piv l p in f r w uppartlyinsection, showing apreferred embodiment Wardly extending links 29. These two links are of this invention; Y i arranged to. diverge from each other and each Fig. 2 is a sectional view onthe broken line 2--2 n is p vid d at its upp end w a p v st d 0 of Fig. 1; V i I 30 for pivotallyreceiving a head 31 of a device 30 Fig. 3 is asectional view on the line 3--3 of for resisting the upward motion of the axle.

Fig. 1; p i This is shown as a compression spring 32which Fig. 4 is a plan of a pivot connection asindiis b k d up at theother n against a s 33 cated by the arrow 4 in Fig. 1; integral with the chassis. The two springs, are

5 Fig. 5 is a view of some parts shown in Fig. 1 arranged oppositely .but both have the same 35 illustrating the axle as in its limiting, highest efiect; position; i i 1 :A vertical flange 34 of the channel iron form- 1 Fig. 6 is a similar view showingjthe axle in its ing the side. on the chassis carries two cam slots limiting lowered position; r; '35at each side of the axle. The studs 30 are Fig. 7 is a front view of one oftheaxles show-i provided with rollers 36 which work in these ing the actionwhen one of the wheels rises; slots. 1 1 i Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the axle taken in a By this construction the chassis is supported vertical plane transverse to the body of the ve-- by the several rollers 36 in the cam slots 35 and hicle showing the connection of the suspension the springs 32 resist up and down motion. Also r devices on both sides with the axle; the thrust is divided by the location of the stud 9 is a similar view showing the axle in the 28 and also by the use of the two springs and position shown in Fig. '7; two links connected to the-stud 28. This per- Fig. 10 is a graph, such as has actually been mits smaller springs to be used than would be taken, showing the motion of the axle, and the case with only one. They are so small in F?S?,TATEST mn; oimci Fig. 11 is a similar graph showing how the fact that they can be located in the channel iron vibrations are reduced as they are transmitted to which constitutes the side of the chassis or frame, the chassis. as shown.

The invention is shown as applied to an axle These'cams also constitute guides and it will 10 and the frame or chassis 11 of an automobile. be seen that, as the lever 18 rises and descends, 5- The axle of course carries the Wheels 12 in a usual the studs 30 are limited to a definite line of moing to prevent further rise.

tion in these slots. A neutral position of the parts is shown in Fig. 1 while in Fig. 5 the parts are shown with the levers 18 forced upwardly as far as they will go by the rise of the axle.

, It will be seen that the lever is at its uppermost position because one of the stops 16 is act- The rise of the axle forces the two links 29 to move oppositely and outwardly at their upper ends so as to compress the two springs 32. When the axle goes as far down as possible, as shown in Fig; 6, these studs and their rollers are brought inwardly toward each other and the springs expanded. From this it will be seen that the shock of the sudden rise or fall of the axle is transmitted to the chassis through the springs 32 and in such a way as to reduce the shock very materially and that the action on these springs is controlled and guided by the cams 35. Likewise the downward motionof the wheel is resisted and the shock cushioned as shown. i

The member 13 is supported by a journal 41 in the axle through an eccentric 40. When the axle swings as shown in Figs. 7 and 9, there would be binding of these parts, if it werenot for this eccentric. The eccentric is capable of turning slightly and must turn slightly on account of its connections with the levers 18. The levers 18 are, of course, not rotatable, thus [allowing the rise and fall of one end of the axle without binding this journal. 1

By the construction'above described the vehicle frame is not subjected to shocks of as great an amplitude as the axle but these shocks are cushioned both on the up and down motion, and

resisted. Most of the shock on the rebound is taken up by the cam slots. The diagram in Fig. 10 is an actual copy of a diagramtaken by the usual methods for the showing of shocks to which the axle is subjected. Fig. 11 is .adiagram'of the shocks to which the chassis is subjected at the same time. A comparison of these two diagrams shows the diminutions in the vibration of the chassis secured by this invention.

Having thus described my invention andthe advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than I a link pivotally connected with the lever between its pivot and said means, yielding means for connecting the link directly with the frame, and a cam on the frame .for controlling the motion of the end of the link and supporting the frame.

2. In a vehicle suspension, the combination with the vehicle frame and an axle, of a lever pivoted on an axis parallel to the axle and extendeeaaeo ing therefrom longitudinally of the frame, means for movably connecting the free end of said lever to the frame, two links pivoted to the lever and extending upwardly therefrom, one extending at V 7 an inclination forwardly and the other backwardly, two substantially horizontally operating yielding devices, each pivotally connected with} the top of one of said links, and means for move ably connecting the last two pivotal connections with the frame for supportingitthere-from.

3. In av vehicle suspension, thecombination with the vehicle frame and an axle therefor, of

a lever pivoted to the axle, means for movably supporting the free end of the lever from the frame, a link pivotally connected with thelever,

a pivot stud carried by-the top of thelink, a rollpivoted on an axis parallel to the axleand ex tending longitudinally of the frame, means for movably connecting'the free'end of said lever to the frame, two links pivoted to the lever. and

of the roller upextending upwardly therefrom, one extending at aninclin'atio'n' forwardly' andthe other backwardly, two substantially horizontal oppositely working compression springs supported by the chassis on opposite sides of the links, pivots c'onnecting the'springs with the links, two oppositely inclined cam slots in the-frame, and rollers on said pivots and movable in said slots. y

' 5. In a'vehiclesuspension, the combination with the vehicle frame and an axle therefor, of

a lever pivotedto' the axle and extending longitudinally of the frame, means for movably supporting the free end of the lever from the frame; a link pivotally connected with the lever, yield-j ing means for connecting the link with the frame, and a cam on the frame'for controlling the motionof the end'of the link and supporting the frame, and. yielding means for resisting the-downward motion of the free end of. the lever. f I I 6. In a vehicle suspension, the combination with the vehicle frame and anaxle therefor, of

a lever pivoted to the axle, means, for movably supporting the free end of the lever'from the frame, a link pivotally connected with thelever, yielding means for connecting the link with the frame, and a cam on the frame for controlling the motion of the end of the link supporting the, 1

frame, and'a'n eccentric bearing for oscillatably i supporting the first named end of the lever on the.

axle, said bearing being arranged to turn slight-I ly when the axle is tilted to prevent bin ingof the lever therein. I

' FRANK'R. PIEIRSON. 

